An inmate who was mistakenly released from prison has been found to have committed a sexual offense during a previous unauthorized absence.
The individual in question, Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, aged 24, was serving time at HMP Wandsworth in south-west London when he was erroneously set free last Wednesday. This oversight was only brought to the attention of the Metropolitan Police the following day.
Further details have emerged revealing that Kaddour-Cherif exposed himself to a woman in a park near his residence last year shortly after he failed to attend court for burglary charges. He was implicated in a break-in at the Royal Society of Literature in Somerset House on the Strand in September 2023.
Following his release on bail in January, the Algerian national failed to appear for a hearing at Stratford Magistrates’ Court on March 1. In that same month, he committed the indecent act towards the woman in Lloyd Park in Walthamstow, located near his flat in Tower Hamlets.
Kaddour-Cherif faced additional charges of handling stolen goods after being caught with stolen bank cards belonging to a female victim in Lambeth, south London, in August of the previous year. He was eventually apprehended and convicted in November 2024 for the indecent exposure incident in March.
Subsequently, he was handed an 18-month community order and required to register as a sex offender for five years. On September 9 of this year, Kaddour-Cherif was arrested once again for failing to appear in court, breaching probation conditions, and violating the terms of his sex offender registration.
Reports indicate that he had previously been accused of various other offenses, including possession of a weapon and another burglary. This incident follows the mistaken release of another individual, Hadush Kebatu, from HMP Chelmsford on October 24.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police disclosed that they were informed by the Prison Service about the erroneous release of the 24-year-old Algerian man from HMP Wandsworth on October 29. Law enforcement officers are currently conducting urgent investigations to locate him and return him to custody.
Although Kaddour-Cherif is not categorized as an asylum seeker, it is noted that his visa had expired. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy expressed his outrage at the situation, stating that efforts were underway to return the offender to prison.
The premature release of the inmate occurred shortly after enhanced security measures were implemented in prisons and an independent inquiry was initiated into mistaken releases following the Kebatu case.
In a separate incident, a migrant who had been convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman was mistakenly freed from prison instead of being transferred to an immigration detention facility last month. However, he was eventually located.
(Note: The article has been revised for clarity, conciseness, and search engine optimization without altering any factual information.)